Santa Fe, NM — New Mexico is about to see unprecedented levels of federal funds through the CARES Act, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)— but not everyone is ready to receive these funds. Today, Anchorum St. Vincent, Thornburg Foundation and Santa Fe Community Foundations are announcing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to help nonprofits successfully access federal funds for our communities. Through a joint grant process, a total of $200,000 is being made available to New Mexico nonprofits.

The grants will provide funding for nonprofits to build their internal capacity so they can access this generation-changing amount of funds. Grants can be used to support grant proposal writing, collaborative planning, federal fund searching, and post-award management, among others activities.

“The unprecedented federal funding available could have a huge impact on communities across New Mexico,” noted Allan Oliver, Thornburg Foundation Executive Director. “While some organizations may have the resources to navigate the process, others need some help identifying, learning and applying for these federal funds. That’s how this program can help.”

Individual grants from the joint fund can range from $5,000 to $25,000 based on the level of support an organization needs or if they’re collaborating with other organizations. Additionally, technical assistance from Pivotal New Mexico and 501(C)PA will be provided to all grant awardees. These partners will help with grant research, advise on proposal development, and provide consulting based on each organization’s finances.

“It’s our hope that providing funds to build internal capacity will not only help organizations receive Federal funding now, but also in the future, “said Jerry Jones, Anchorum St. Vincent Interim President and CEO. “By investing in their capacity today through education and professional assistance, we want local organizations to be able to carry this knowledge into their future projects and collaborations.”

Santa Fe Community Foundation will host a Giving Circle Fund for this project and welcomes new funders interested in joining this coordinated funding effort.Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with an open RFP process until June 30, 2022, or when funding is exhausted. Interested organizations can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply at: www.santafecf.org/rfp-federal-funding.